FRANCE: France accused Iran yesterday of pursuing a secret military nuclear programme, drawing a swift rebuke from Tehran ahead of talks next week on a Russian proposal for resolving the dispute.
French foreign minister Philippe Douste-Blazy said Iran's nuclear work, which Tehran says aims to generate electricity, could not possibly be designed for civilian uses alone.
Iran's chief nuclear negotiator Ali Larijani responded with a warning to the West not to hector Tehran, in a heated exchange that boded ill for talks in Moscow on Monday on a Russian compromise aimed at ending the row peacefully.
Russia has offered to enrich Iranian uranium on its soil and return it to Iran for use in atomic reactors, thereby easing international concerns Iran could produce bomb-grade uranium.
"No civilian nuclear programme can explain the Iranian nuclear programme. So it is a clandestine Iranian military nuclear programme," Mr Douste-Blazy told France 2 television.
Iran's energy minister said that despite huge oil and gas reserves the country needs nuclear power to meet booming demand.
"We will face problems producing electricity in the next four years without nuclear energy," the minister Parviz Fattah was quoted on state television.
The French foreign ministry denied France had hardened its position. A spokeswoman told a regular electronic briefing that Mr Douste-Blazy had simply restated Paris's position.
British foreign secretary Jack Straw said he held the same position as Mr Douste-Blazy.
One western diplomat described Iran's recent behaviour as "worrisome" and was downbeat about the prospects for Monday's meeting between Iranian and Russian officials.
After three years of investigation, the International Atomic Energy Agency has found no hard proof Iran is seeking nuclear arms, but has been unable to verify that its atomic programme is entirely for peaceful aims.